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Displaced Women Lead the Response to COVID-19 in Camps Around the World

Submitted by ajkanesan on

Geneva — Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, women internally displaced by conflict or disasters already faced significant barriers in accessing job opportunities, healthcare and education. Public health restrictions imposed worldwide, moreover, increased many of the vulnerabilities and protection risks faced by women, girls, elderly persons and persons with disabilities.

Groups-at-risk often have less access to lifesaving information and less opportunities to participate in camp-life. Although women and girls frequently comprise the majority of most displaced populations, their participation in decision-making traditionally has been minimal.

Yet in some camps, or camp-like settings hosting thousands of displaced people, women have begun taking on important leadership roles to make sure these groups are not overlooked.

Through meaningful, inclusive and representative processes, more women in camps are participating in decision-making and camp governance structures — processes that are imperative for good camp management and a more effective response to humanitarian crises.

It is also a crucial mechanism to ensure humanitarian actors remain accountable, first and foremost, to affected populations.

When women become active decision-makers, they are given more agency to voice concerns about their safety and health — especially regarding ways the humanitarian community can better prevent or mitigate incidents of gender-based violence and other protection risks.

They also become more aware of their rights and become stronger advocates for greater inclusion and representation.

In the current context, women have been essential in ensuring their communities — especially the most vulnerable — have access to services and information they need to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The IOM-led Women’s Participation Project aims to bring more women to the centre of the humanitarian community’s response to the pandemic in five countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan

Meet some of the women paving the way and leading the response to COVID-19 in displacement settings around the world.

SOUTH SUDAN

 

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Photo: IOM South Sudan

Twenty-nine internally displaced women, including 11 women with disabilities, learned to sew masks in Naivasha IDP Camp in South Sudan which then were distributed to community members helping curb the spread of COVID-19.

 

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Photo: IOM South Sudan

With the new skills I learned during training, everybody is reaching out to me to learn how these masks are produced. That has given me more weight and value in my community. The income I earn from selling the masks also has allowed me to improve my small business,” said one female participant.

SOMALIA

 

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Photo: IOM Somalia

Women in an IDP camp in Dollow, Somalia sewed face masks and decided collectively to distribute the first batch free of charge to at-risk groups. Subsequent batches were sold in a local market.

 

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Photo: IOM Somalia

Creating face masks not only helped me fight against COVID-19 in our IDP sites, but also helped me gain the skills to provide my family an income. We are making masks to help people — children and the entire community — protect themselves from the COVID-19,” said one woman.

 

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Photo: IOM Somalia

Women’s groups in Somalia have been working closely with the community and Imams representing 200 mosques to provide cleaning materials and raise awareness about COVID-19 prevention. This has helped curb the spread of the virus among Somali communities.

“We are very grateful for women’s roles within the community in such crucial times. These efforts are not only meant for women but are very essential and inclusive for all genders,” said one Imam.

BANGLADESH

 

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Photo: IOM Bangladesh

With restrictions and lockdowns enforced by the Government of Bangladesh in response to the pandemic, the Women’s Committee in Cox’s Bazar has been on the forefront of the COVID-19 preparedness and response in the camp. After receiving training, they have educated over 85,000 of their community members on COVID-19 symptom identification and management, prevention measures, referral mechanisms and ways to avert rumours and stigmatization.

 

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Photo: IOM Bangladesh

IOM has received increased reports of gender-based violence and protection incidents in Cox’s Bazar. Through remote consultations with the Women’s Committee, women have been trained in coping with stress– an effort organised by Site Management and Protection teams to provide key information related to protection and GBV services, COVID19 messaging and some self-care exercises.

NIGERIA

 

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Photo: IOM Nigeria

The Women’s Participation Project expanded to Gubio Camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria. During consultations with the women’s groups, the production of non-medical facemasks was identified as a key to curb the spread of COVID-19. Forty women received training and produced more than 8,000 face masks.

ETHIOPIA

 

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Photo: IOM Ethiopia

The Women’s Committee in Kersa IDP Site has been at the forefront of community engagement and ensuring COVID-19 prevention measures are respected during distributions of emergency items and cleaning materials to the internally displaced community.

The Women’s Participation Project began in 2015 as part of the ‘Safe from the Start’ Initiative, managed by the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Support team at IOM HQ. With the objective to improve women’s participation and representation in displacement, mainstreaming prevention and mitigation of GBV in camp management operations, the Women’s Participation Project has been implemented in 9 countries in the last five years including Ecuador, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria.

To learn more about the Women’s Participation Project, visit the Women in Displacement Platform.

 

Read the full article here!

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Somalia

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Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to be one of the most prevalent human rights violations affecting communities globally. Knowing no social, physical or economic bounds, GBV deteriorates the health, dignity and autonomy of its victims, and creates a culture of silence. Due to unequal power relations, harmful social practices and traditional patriarchal structures, women and girls are disproportionately affected by GBV compared to men. Violence can happen to any woman in any country, regardless of culture, religion or economic status. Gender inequality, which reinforces harmful gender norms are key drivers of violence against women. According to UNFPA1, one in every three women worldwide will experience some form of violence in their lifetime. These odds, coupled with natural disasters and conflicts, leave displaced communities in Somalia extremely vulnerable to GBV. In camp or camp-like settings, women, girls and groups-at-risk often have less access to lifesaving information and to participate in camp-life due to different factors, such as existing unequal power dynamics or cultural barriers that restrict their movements. Meaningful, inclusive and representative participation in decision-making and camp governance structures is imperative for good camp management in ensuring that the risks, needs and capacities of women, girls and groups-at-risk are considered and prioritised. This is also essential in improving humanitarian response, community engagement and support, mitigating GBV and ultimately to ensure accountability towards affected populations. 

To raise awareness and advocate globally for the end of violence against women, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign kicks off annually on the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs until 10th of December, Human Rights Day. This annual international campaign calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls, with the international community and humanitarian agencies actively participating in advocating and highlighting the importance of this campaign. This year, in Somalia, the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV campaign kicked off in Kismayo, Dollow and Baidoa displacement camps with support from the Women Participation Project (WPP) and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM). Throughout the 16 days, IOM staff recorded attendance of over 2,000 participants, with a third of the participants being male. 

“We want Somali women to be empowered. The trainings and awareness campaigns helped women know where they can report their cases, so that something can be done about them. The women feel encouraged to help themselves,” shared Rahmo Sheikh Abdi, from the Buula Isaaq IDP site in Kismayo.  

Members of the Women’s Group in each location were directly involved in the organisation of the events, which included singing, dancing and theatrical performances. The songs and dances focused on their power to overcome the challenges they face as women and invited other members of the community to join the initiative. Awareness campaigns were opened to all community members within the IDP sites. Trainings on advocacy were aimed at both men and women in Camp Management Committees (CMC) and women’s groups in order to make sure information reached all parts of the community.  

 

The global theme this year was Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent and Collect, highlighting the need to increase funding to prevent GBV. With less than 1% of global humanitarian funding going towards GBV prevention and response globally, it is essential to highlight this need, to ensure survivors receive the services they need, focus on preventing GBV in communities and to collect data that improves services for GBV. In line with the campaign, community members wore orange shirts, scarves and caps with 16 Days of Activism Against GBV messages embedded. 16 designs of stickers were also distributed, one message for each day of the campaign, tackling issues of GBV and women empowerment. Some of the messages included were “Our girls’ matter. End child marriage,” and “Educate men and boys on how to prevent violence against girls and women.” Written in Somali, the stickers were distributed at the start of each day, and the participants were encouraged to display them in community centres, health clinics, schools and water stations, to raise awareness amongst the wider community.  

 

“We have never seen women going around and creating awareness sessions on how to eliminate Gender-Based Violence in IDP sites before this campaign kicked off,” says Deka, a member of a women’s group in the Qansaxley IDP site in Doolow. “Many women here both earn a living and look after the domestic chores of the household. It is not always easy. I hope this will encourage men to listen to the women’s voices more.” 

Somalia is experiencing incessant humanitarian crisis due to conflict and natural disasters, forcing many Somalis to leave their homes and seek shelter at informal displacement sites. Approximately 2.6 million people across Somalia have been displaced, the majority of whom are women and children. IOM supports more than 600 displacement sites in Somalia, ensuring that they get access to life-saving basic services such as water, shelter and healthcare. Living in informal settlements with vulnerable social status and shelters lacking privacy or security has left these women and single-headed households vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse. GBV data in Somalia indicates that 74% of the survivors who accessed services were living in displacement sites, and 99% of whom were women and girls. IOM operates a Complaint and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) in Baidoa, Dollow and Kismayo, which is a direct feedback channel from the community to the aid agencies through information desks and toll-free hotline-numbers. CFM integrates a GBV referral system in which any cases of GBV are immediately referred to a specialised protection agency for immediate follow-up and survivor protection. Since most reports of GBV are time-sensitive and require confidential but personalised counselling, the direct referral system ensures that GBV cases are prioritised and confidentially managed.  

“IOM and the CCCM cluster is doing all we can to provide a secure channel of communication and protection to the survivors of GBV, but it’s not always easy to overcome the stigma associated with sexual violence, especially when it’s domestic violence,” explained Ahmed, a CCCM program officer based in Baidoa, who made sure that the Women’s Group had all the materials and resources needed to smoothly organise these events. “That’s why campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV provide a platform for the community to come together and facilitate an open dialogue about gender balance and the importance of combatting gender-based violence.” 

The Women’s Group in each location are comprised of around 40 core members, with doors opened to any new members all year round. With support from IOM, they organise monthly events to raise awareness of global and local social issues, such as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and COVID-19 mask-making activities and have become a safe space for women to gather and discuss various issues regarding their lives in the displacement sites.  

The 16 Days campaign concluded with a celebration for International Human Rights Day, the women presented theatre plays and highlighted ways to approach GBV within communities. Although the campaign ended in festivities, it has highlighted the challenge of encouraging survivors of GBV to report their cases and thwarting the stigma associated with GBV still remains with the community and with the humanitarian agencies.  

 

This article was written by Saba Asif Khan, IOM Somalia Preparedness and Response Division Intern 


The Women’s Participation Project began in 2015 as part of the 'Safe from the Start' Initiative, managed by the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Support team at IOM HQ. With the objective to improve women’s participation and representation in displacement, mainstreaming prevention and mitigation of GBV in camp management operations, the Women's Participation Project has been implemented in 9 countries in the last five years including Ecuador, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria. 

To find out more on the Women’s Participation Project, visit the Women in Displacement Platform.  

Country
Somalia

Communities Getting Involved: Supporting Community Leadership in the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Submitted by ajkanesan on

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for forcibly displaced persons and the humanitarian organizations working to support them. With restrictions on movement and limited access to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stateless persons across the globe, UNHCR is supporting displaced communities to take the lead in the prevention of, and the response to, the existing and emerging protection needs of women, men, girls and boys of diverse backgrounds.

This brief provides an overview of UNHCRs approach to engaging communities in the prevention and response to COVID-19, and draws on examples from the field, where displaced communities are partnering with humanitarian actors to protect those at heightened risk.

Community members are the persons most knowledgeable about their own needs, and the best advisers on what approaches are suited in their local area. Every community that faces threats, engages in forms of individual or collective self-protection. If external agencies introduce new measures without considering existing ones, the community may lose its capacity to self-protect, resulting in it being worse off when external support is reduced. It is, therefore, necessary that we understand and support the strategies that communities already use, building on them and leveraging their skills and resources.

UNHCR has a history of working hand-in-hand with communities in the identification of protection needs, and jointly developing responses that build on their knowledge, capacities and resources.
UNHCR believes that meaningful participation:

• is a right, and essential for informed decision-making;

• leads to better protection outcomes and reduces feelings of powerlessness;

• enables UNHCR to draw on the insights, knowledge, capacities, skills and resources of persons of concern;

• empowers women, men, girls and boys of different backgrounds to rebuild self-esteem and self-confidence; and • helps people of concern cope with the trauma of forced displacement.

Through the regular, systematic and meaningful participation of women, men, girls and boys of diverse backgrounds, UNHCR gains a real-time understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting individuals differently, and is able to work with them to develop programmes that address these differing needs effectively.

UNHCR applies a community-based approach in its work with forcibly displaced people through which it identifies and supports community structures and establishes partnerships with community-based organizations, who play a critical role in reaching out to at-risk and marginalized groups and responding to the impacts of COVID-19. This becomes particularly important in contexts where UNHCR and partners face difficulties in accessing refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs and stateless persons.

Read the full report here

Hidden in Plain Sight: Women and Girls in Internal Displacement

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The female face of displacement: 21 million women and girls uprooted by conflict and violence around the world

Geneva, 5 March 2020 -- New estimates published for the first time today reveal that at least 21 million women and girls were uprooted within their countries by conflict and violence by the end of 2018. Two-thirds of these internally displaced women and girls were in Africa and the Middle East. Nine countries worldwide hosted over one million women and girls each: Syria, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan.

"Twenty-five years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, one of the most comprehensive global policy frameworks for gender equality, women and girls are still suffering disproportionately from displacement," said Alexandra Bilak, Director of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), the organisation who led the research.

While the global estimate of 21 million displaced women and girls accounts for just over half of the 41 million internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide, in many cases the proportion of women and girls in displaced populations is higher than that of men and boys, and also higher than in the national population. In Burkina Faso, for instance, where violence led to a ten-fold increase in displacements in 2019, 65 per cent of adult IDPs are women. This is likely because many men are forcibly recruited to fight by armed groups, so are unable to flee with the women.

The new report, published jointly by IDMC, Plan International and IMPACT Initiatives, shows that displacement reinforces pre-existing discrimination and social and economic disadvantages. Displaced women and girls tend to face greater challenges than men and boys in staying safe, securing work, accessing education and healthcare. Their sex and age often prevent them for making their voices heard and participating in decisions that affect them.

These first global, regional and national estimates are reached by applying UN national age distribution data to IDMC's figures for people internally displaced by conflict or violence. They do not include women and girls displaced by causes such as disasters and climate change, and only cover around 50 countries for which data is available, so they should be considered underestimates.

Only 15 per cent of the countries IDMC collects data on provided information disaggregated by sex and age in 2018. Four of the ten countries with the largest internally displaced populations worldwide (Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia) are completely missing from the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Gender Index due to the unavailability of data.

"The Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved by 2030 unless internal displacement, and the plight of displaced women and girls in particular, receive greater attention; starting with better data and analysis, and followed by concrete action," said Alexandra Bilak.

"Knowing how many women and girls are displaced, how old they are and the conditions they live in is essential if we are to provide them with the right resources to meet their specific needs."

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is the world's authoritative source of data and analysis on internal displacement. Since its establishment in 1998, as part of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), IDMC has offered a rigorous, independent and trusted service to the international community. Our work informs policy and operational decisions that improve the lives of the millions of people living in internal displacement, or at risk of becoming displaced in the future.

Download the report hereWomen and girls in internal displacement

For interviews please contact:\ Frankie Parrish, IDMC\ Email: frankie.parrish@idmc.ch\ Office: + 41 22 552 36 45\ Mobile: +41 78 630 16 78

Follow IDMC on social media:\ Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternalDisplacement\ Twitter: @IDMC_Geneva

Unlocking the lockdown gender-differentiated consequences of COVID-19 in Afghanistan

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New York, NY, November 8, 2020 — To understand the gender impact of COVID-19 in Afghanistan, UN Women partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), civil society organizations, and a mobile network operator (Roshan) to conduct a Rapid Assessment Survey across Afghanistan. The survey is part of a regional project run by UN Women to understand the differential impact of the pandemic on individuals across the Asia Pacific region. This rapid assessment survey summarizes first-hand data, research and policy work on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls, including how it is affecting employment, health, unpaid care, migration, internally displaced people, returnees and host communities.

While COVID-19 took a toll on all Afghans, the impacts on women and girls have worsened across the board the study highlights. “COVID-19 exposes our darkest social, economic and political vulnerabilities”, said Aleta Miller, UN Women Representative in Afghanistan. “The report we are just launching today shows that from homes to internally displaced camps, Afghan women are especially hurt by the resulting economic and social fallout.”

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, 77% of Afghans surveyed reported that the pandemic has negatively affected their emotional and mental health. Survey findings show that accessing health care is a challenge for the vast majority of the population. Respondents noted longer waiting times at the doctor, an inability to seek medical care when needed, and reduced access to medical supplies, hygiene products, and food. However, women face additional challenges and discrimination in accessing these services due to the lack of female health practitioners and cultural barriers restricting women’s travel, especially in rural areas.

The spread of COVID-19 is not only a global health pandemic, but is also affecting people’s livelihoods. In Afghanistan, when women work, they mostly do so in the informal sector. Survey findings indicate that 63% of women surveyed who work in the informal sector have lost their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. The impacts are not just economic. More people at home also means that the burden of unpaid care and domestic work has increased for women and girls. For example, only 11%of men reported increases in the amount of time spent carrying out at least three activities related to unpaid domestic work. In comparison, the percentage for women was a striking 41%.

“We know that crises impact women and girls differently because of gender inequality, yet we are still not seeing most COVID-19 response plans prioritize their unique needs” said Vicki Aken, IRC Country Director in Afghanistan. “The meaningful participation of women at all levels, a focus on gathering and analyzing gender disaggregated data, and designated budgets to support the needs of women and girls are critical in ensuring they are not left further behind due to COVID-19.”

The publication concludes with a series of recommendations including calling for greater investment of data on the gendered impacts of the pandemic. Aleta Miller, UN Women Representative in Afghanistan commented, “Afghanistan stands the unique opportunity to build back stronger and better as the country approaches peace. But in order to do so, women must be the drivers and the beneficiaries of the response that tackles the vulnerabilities our report is flagging. All policies addressing the fallout of COVID-19 pandemic must be inclusive and transformative, addressing women’s leadership and labour, both outside and within the home.”

Read the full report here

Read the full press release here 

Country
Afghanistan

CARE SUPPORTING RESILIENCE IN SYRIA – WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES OF CONFLICT AND THE ‘NEW NORMAL'

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The report analyses how Syrian women have adopted new livelihood strategies, new ways of accessing education, and new gender roles. It also makes recommendations for how donors, as well as humanitarian and development agencies, should promote women’s leadership in humanitarian and early recovery responses, supporting a platform for Syrian women to define their own priorities, shape the support they receive, and make decisions for themselves and their dependents.

I SEE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE

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WRC & IRC (2015) “I see that it is possible”: Building capacity for disability inclusion in gender-based violence programming.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a widely recognized human rights and public health concern, affecting at least one in three women globally. GBV may become even more pervasive in crisis situations, where social, community and institutional protection mechanisms are often weakened or destroyed. Men and boys are also vulnerable to violence during conflict and displacement, particularly sexual violence, though to a lesser extent than women and girls.

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